Research Summary
Research Summary
Book in progress
Description
Expanding on my work on BP, I am starting a new book on the transformation of the major international oil companies since the 1970s. Prior to that, the oil majors largely controlled the international flow of oil, which was channelled through their vertically integrated operations by large internal hierarchies. These companies, the famous Seven Sisters, played a key role in the energy security of the West. But since control of the upstream (crude oil production) sector was seized from the majors by the OPEC countries in the 1970s, the once-dominant companies have had to respond to new challenges, which form the core of this book.